Writing Assignment #5: Independent Research Paper

The American Historical Context for Moving Voices

This is a twelve-week paper to be completed by the end of 1st semester. This sheet needs to be in your folder at all times, and will be the cover sheet for your final paper.

Outcomes: students will conduct independent original research and write a report about HOW and WHY the historical context enveloped a person within your family (ancestor, relative, friend of the family), and in turn moved them through time and geography to become part of a historical place and time.

Students will evaluate how the individual interacted with the historical context using historians’ tools. As facts, historical research, and oral stories are unearthed, students will analyze the economic, social, cultural, political, technological, or environmental changes that were happening in places at certain times. Learning Advice: your topic needs to be interesting to you, focused, and manageable and that means focused on “people on the move” in time and places. You need to manage, your time, generate your own questions, your own research, your own writing, your original thoughts. This requires self-discipline and self-motivation. (5W+H=S), 4 Tools of the Historian = Connection, Conjunction, Coincidence, Contingency, Five Themes of Geography = Movement, Interaction, Place, Region, Location.

The Final Report – Product: The graduation portfolio rubric for Historical Research rubric will be used to assess the final product, the Research Report, which will be a minimum of 7 pages and maximum of 8, in addition a Sources Cited page will be attached, double-spaced, 12 point font, with a title page, following MLA style. Students will use a minimum of 5 sources for research, including at least 4 text-based sources at least one other primary resource, such as an oral interview.

Essential Questions – you will generate your own 5 essential questions. For example:

• What pushed or pulled your relative to migrate/immigrate?
• What were the effects of the forces that caused movement?
• When did this migration take place?
• Where did this movement take place? What place or context of society did it take place in?
• How did this movement happen? How and why did the movement transform the participants and or the context?
• Why was this a significant change?
• How would things look different had this movement not happened?
• How did self-determination in the American character take place in the people, groups, events historically changing the society for the future?
• What were the pros and cons of this movement?

Comprehensive Accountability

Moving Voices Benchmark # Product Due
1 Interview Synopsis & Artifacts 9/24
2 Narrative and IRP Proposal 9/27
3 Annotated Bibliography 10/9
5 Research Collected (100 Cards)10/25
8 Outline & Thesis Statement 11/5
11 Rough Draft 5 pages 12/10
12 Final Draft Due Final Draft 1/14
14 IRP Lecture Presentation (3min) Finals

Criteria of Final Research Paper

• 7-8 pages
• Sources Cited page
• Double Spaced
• Pages numbered
• 12 point font
• Paper-clipped
• At least 5 Sources with 5 citations
• At least 4 texts (books, articles not internet based)
• At least one primary source, such as an interview.
• Mechanics According to English Standards
• Content relevantly covers American History – movement of people and or ideas, such as social movement, immigration, migration, emmigration – push/pull factors.
• Time and Place context.
• Multiple perspectives
• Original Authentic Writing and Ideas
• Tightly Organized

These criteria and the Graduation Portfolio Rubrics for Social Studies will be utilized in assessing the paper. This will be assessed in Mastery of Knowledge, Application of Knowledge, Leadership Skills, such as Effective Project Management, Critical Thinking, and Communicating Effectively, and College Work Habits. This final paper will count towards your American History and Literature grade.

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Posted by Justin Wells : 01/13/2008